1. Field
The present invention relates generally to amusement attractions, such as surfing simulators or other wave machines. More particularly, the present invention relates to mobile or permanently installed water or surfing attractions that incorporate one or more inflatable sections or areas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Water attractions (e.g., waterslides, surfing slides or machines, boogie-boarding slides, etc.) are a popular entertainment activity during periods of warm weather. Conventional water attractions are commonly made of fiberglass or other rigid or semi-rigid materials that provide a smooth and slippery surface for supporting a flow of water thereon to transport a rider from an entrance to an exit. A variety of different types of ride vehicles (e.g., inner tubes, body boards, surf boards, floatation devices, etc.) may be used by the rider as the rider travels along the water attraction and support the rider as the ride vehicle slides along the riding surface.
One type of water attraction that has proven a popular lure for patrons to water or other amusement parks or venues is the surfing machine or simulator. These machines may be used both for entertainment purposes as well as training purposes for helping instruct individuals that may be wary or otherwise unable to surf out in the open ocean. Conventional surf machines utilize water pumps cooperating with nozzles or jets to flow a sheet or layer of water over a variety of surfaces and allow riders to skim atop the water flow. A riding surface of the conventional surf machine is typically a rigid or semi-rigid, low-friction surface that supports maneuvering by riders upon a conventional or modified surfboard or boogie board (individually and collectively referred to as a “board”). However, users without much surfing experience, either in the ocean or upon surfing machines, commonly fall off of the board during initial attempts at using the surfing machine and the surfaces of these apparatuses can make uncomfortable contact with a rider upon the rider's falling off of their board.
Particularly at competition or sports venues (e.g., surfing competitions, BMX competitions, etc.) located outdoors, such as at or near the beach, surfing simulators have increasingly been in demand as a fun and revenue-generating activity for potential patrons. Surfing simulators also provide onlookers with an additional activity to engage in while present at the venue or event. Unfortunately, given the relatively short duration that many competitions extend, some lasting only a few days in duration, permanent installation of surfing simulators at those locations is not feasible. While some mobile surfing simulators have been developed, the comparably long and typically complex assembly and/or disassembly procedures, oftentimes taking greater time than the entire duration of the event itself, makes such devices undesirable to many potential event holders or organizers. These conventional simulators commonly utilize a large number of component parts that require vast numbers of shipment containers for their assembly, adding significantly to the cost associated with transporting and assembling the simulators at a desired geographic location.
As the sheet flow or standing wave product (collectively “surfing machine”) market becomes more popular, water venues increasingly look to new surfing machines that can provide novel experiences to riders or that are less expensive or time consuming to install. Moreover, as the surfing industry becomes more sophisticated and the influence of extreme sports becomes more popular, more extreme standing waves created by such surfing machines are desired in order to satisfy the thrill anticipated by these new generation of users, both adults and children alike. As new surfing machines are developed, manoeuvrability, rider comfort, cost, and efficiency in assembly/disassembly should be adequately addressed and improvements to ensure cost effectiveness, particularly in the mobile water attraction market, is desired. Rider comfort and/or improvements to rider maneuverability would also be desired. Ideally, a mobile surfing simulator would be inexpensive to construct and/or transport, quick and/or easy to assemble and/or disassemble, and would allow a rider to make contact with the surface of the water attraction, for example, upon falling off of a ride vehicle, with minimal discomfort.